Predicting the necessity of anterior communicating artery division in the bifrontal basal interhemispheric approach

BACKGROUND: The anterior communicating artery (ACoA) often limits surgical exposure in the anterior interhemispheric approach. Although division of the ACoA has been proposed occasionally, it is rarely practiced, and criteria for such a surgical maneuver remain unknown. Our purpose was to identify key factors that allow for predicting the necessity of controlled ACoA division in the bifrontal basal interhemispheric approach. METHOD: Twenty-two consecutive patients who underwent surgery via the bifrontal basal interhemispheric approach for removal of various pathologic brain lesions were examined. First, tumors were dichotomized into central and lateral lesions. Next, three tumor parameters were compared between cases with and without ACoA division in each, the central and lateral lesion groups, respectively: tumor volume, tumor depth (defined as distance between the ACoA and posterior tumor margin) and tumor laterality angle (defined as the geometric angle between the lateral tumor margin and sagittal midline). RESULTS: Tumor volume was not related in a statistically significant manner to ACoA division in both the central (P = 0.06) and lateral (P = 0.13) lesion groups, respectively. However, tumor depth was significantly correlated with ACoA division in the central lesion group (P = 0.01), whereas in the lateral lesion group, the tumor laterality angle showed a significant correlation with ACoA division (P = 0.04). CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that controlled ACoA division may be required in central lesions with a depth of 38 mm or more and in lateral lesions with an angle of 23 degrees or more as defined in this study. Two key factors were thus identified that may predict the necessity of controlled ACoA division before surgery.